Nothing Without You
by Blackheart Ravensoul
Summary: Maiev after killing Illidan. Her life on the run from the watcher and insanity. May be rated M for later chapters
1. Chapter 1

Nothing Without You

Thunder flashed in the dark night sky. Heavy rain fell into the swamp. All was still, except for a shadow that moved for a brief moment, withdrawing deeper into the underground of the temple within the lake. It was cold, damp and dark, metal armor boots slipped on the slimy stones. The air was full of the sound of rain and heavy breathing. Suddenly there was a thud, the rain muffled the sound so it could not heard from the outside, but in the tunnel it sounded as loud as a cannon shot, followed by cursing in darnassian. The metal gauntlets slipped on the stones trying to pull up their owner, the heavy wet cape tangled around her feet, strength to depleted to get up. Rest was much needed but a voice inside kept rushing her to run. Finally she gave up trying and collapsed onto the floor.

Sleep did not take her, tired as she was. While during the day she could her mind occupied with running away from those who hunt her, at moments like this thoughts would surface from the deepest corners of her mind, when she was too weak to defend against them. " so this is what it feels like. This is what He felt like. Being hunted like an animal. Can't they see the truth? All I was trying to do, it was for the good of the nation." A bitter laugh escaped her lips. " Isn't this what he sounded like, back in the days." Hunted by my own brother, this was not how things were supposed to be." She paused thinking, realizing that she never really imagined how things would be " I never gave it any though before, but this is not like anything I would have imagined. " tears unknowing to her began to fall "What I wanted, no, what I Want. .. I had it, but then they took it away from me." " He was right, the hunter is nothing without the hunted. I am nothing, just a lowly betrayer now. I am. What he was." "Will Jarod kill me, like I killed you? Or may they will show "mercy" on me and lock me away in a cage until the end of time." She laughed almost like a mad person not caring if her laugher gave away her position.

Ever since that day on the roof the temple things just haven't felt right for the former warden. Her dreams were filed with a confusing mess of images and thoughts. Memories of what was, mixed with what could have been. She woke up shivering from the cold only to find that it was day outside. The light from above was reaching into the tunnel leading down into the sunken temple. It was time to move, there was no way of telling when someone would catch up to her. she was certain she managed to confuse the trackers and throw them of her trail but she couldn't risk staying in one place for too long. Surviving was important, but now she had a goal – something to chase. It came to her in a dream, what could have been, and to her confused mind it made perfect sense. She should have died that day, not to say Illidan should have lived no, but she should have died as well. in her dream she had a vision where they both die after a fierce fight she manages to bury her circular blade in his neck only to impaled by his warglaves at the last second. The cycle of the hunter and the pray completed, both have fulfilled their deep desire to kill the other, a perfect death. In her insane mind anyways. " If I am nothing without you, then surely you are nothing without me. We simply cannot exist without each other." She swore to herself to find a way to make her vision to come true. " Illidan is dead, and bringing back the dead is no longer possible. At least not in this world. But it doesn't mean that it can't be done." Insanity and determination drove her forward.

She left the ruins in the lake, swimming under water like a fish, which was not easy in a heavy suit of armor. She made her way towards the border mountains leading to the Blasted lands.


	2. Chapter 2

Maiev Shadowsong , the former night elf warden stood in the shadows of a tall tree. Once she spent many days in the desolate world of Outland, a planet corrupted and torn apart by demonic fel magic. She chased after Illidan the Betrayer across the plains and deserts of this world. But the place she was in now was not Outland but Draenor, the uncorrupted , green world of the Draenei. This place was foreign to her, it looked nothing like the tainted, dead land she once roamed- this was the Outland of 30 years in the past, before the coming of the Burning Legion. This foreign world was essential for her goal. This , was an alternate world, existing in a different timeline, and that meant that there was a possibility for another Azeroth to exist in this timeline as well. An Azeroth of 30 years in the past where the events of the Azeroth the Maiev once called home. Had not yet occurred. Or perhaps completely different events occurred. An maybe somewhere under the vast sky of that other Azeroth was another Illidan Stormrage. That was all she needed to know- Illidan was still alive somewhere out there. She could pretend she never killed him on top of the Black Temple.

There was only one small problem: there was no way get to that other Azeroth. The Dark Portal connected Draenor to the Azeroth of the present, there was no portal connecting it to the Azeroth of the same timeline. It would take someone with incredible magical power to build another portal that could connect two different worlds. Maiev knew several beings capable of such power but it seemed unlikely that they would help her. One of them was Sargeras, the commander of the Burning Legion. The fallen Titan had great power and knowledge of many things . It was Sargeras that gave Illidan his powers and turned him into the Betrayer. There was no way for her to team up with him, the demon had great insight and might discover her true intentions and kill her. Then There was Kil' Jaeden, Illidans former master, who served as one of Sargeras's lieutenants. Of course he was also out of the question- Illidan failed to fulfill the orders of his master mostly because of Maiev interfering.

She gave a sigh, it seemed like an impossible task, but she refused to think of a life without Illidan. Hunting and killing the Betrayer was her sole mission and she fulfilled it. But now she had no purpose, no meaning in her life. She tried to seek salvation in justice but all it got her was exile for murder in the name of the greater good. She lived underground for 10 000 years, guarding Illidan in his cage so he didn't escape to wreak havoc on the world. She spent all that time away from her people, they could not understand or appreciate her vision of justice, and her ideal… then again maybe they never did to begin with. After all they chose Tyrande over her to be the high priestess.

Maiev was desperate, the feeling of emptiness inside her was driving her insane. This emptiness was so much more painful than any physical pain or emotion. Once she had been ruled by burning rage, rage that she directed at Illidan. Now he was dead and she was left alone and feeling numb inside, all her rage gone, her reason for living – gone. But she couldn't give up her life, no matter how numb she felt inside or how much it hurt, she couldn't stop living.

There was a third possibility- Guldan. The orc warlock that created the original Dark Portal. In Azeroth of the present he had already met his demise, but here 30 years in the past a living version of Guldan existed. Maiev hoped of finding him and coming up with a good enough lie to convince him to send to the Azeroth of 30 years in the past. She realized how naïve this was for someone like her: clinging to what was most likely an empty hope. The former warden was determined no the less, to switch side and to serve Guldan and if necessary the Burning Legion and do pretty much anything to get to Illidan.

Maiev was lost in thought, she let her guard down. Something attacked her from behind, the woman didn't react in time and got knocked out.


	3. Chapter 3

Maiev was slowly waking up. Her vision was blurry, all she could see was blackness. The former warden tried to moved her hands but found that she was unable to do so, the sound of chains reached her ears. As time passed her vision became stable and she could see where she was. it was some kind of a cave, either high in the mountains or deep underground. There was green fire burning in the corners; green flame of the candles lit on skulls, green blazing torches. She spotted something moving; it was a pile of rocks with light green patches of fire- a demon. It looked at her but did nothing, just kept walking . "Demons?!" she thought the possible meaning of this" Green flames? it must be working for a warlock and a powerful one too."

Time passed and she wasn't sure how much of it had gone by when a dark figure began to approach her from the shadows of the cavern. When it stepped into the light the warden had to hold in a gasp of surprise. Before stood an orc in the company of two demons. He was old, had a long grey beard, his face half hidden by the large hood, a necklace of skulls around his neck. There was no mistake about who it was- Guldan himself stood before her. Maybe it was luck, maybe it was fate, she couldn't tell.

"Who sent you, spy?" he asked her calmly, but the calmness was a façade that hid a dangerous force. Maiev only had one chance, only one and she needed to use it wisely. " I am not a spy " she said trying to sound calm. "They all say that. " the orc laughed " Let's see what song you will sing after I'm done with you." The demons began to approach, but she continued " I have come to warn you, I'm from the future Azeroth." That seemed to catch his interest." Warn me of what, elf?" "Of your doom" she answered. Now she had his full attention. " In the world where I come from you are dead" she repeated " I know how you will die and came to warn you"

Guldan seemed to be considering her words. He examined her as if trying to figure out if she was lying. "You will go to Azeroth, you will raise the tomb of Sargeras from the bottom of the sea, and you will be killed there" she stuck to her story. "And who is it that kills me?" " Demons" she said" you died torn apart by crazed demons" He once again seemed to be considering her words. "That is not the end of it" she said." After that your skull was absorbed a dangerous criminal named Illidan, he became a demon himself and thou I killed him on my Azeroth, here in the past exists another Azeroth and another Illidan, who will one day become very powerful and will most likely kill you." " What do you expect to gain by telling me all this, she –elf?" the orc didn't trust her. " I have a personal score to settle with the demon known as Illidan, killing him once was hard enough, but knowing there is another Illidan you there and that the havoc he caused will happen again, I can't allow it. Thirty years in the future he will become a force of destruction, but right now he is still weak and can easily be killed. But to kill him I need to get to the Azeroth of this time line."

Maiev had given it her all, if he still didn't believe her story to be true and decided to kill her, than she was done for. Guldan didn't seem to be in a hurry to kill her thou. " So it is revenge you seek. And you want my aid to achieve it." He stated. " Yes, that is correct" Maiev felt disgusted with herself for doing this. " I'll think about it" he said and left.

She thought her hear was going to leap out of her chest, the waiting was killing her. Will Guldan help her or will he decide to torture her and then kill her. Meanwhile the orc was confirming her story with the spirit of his other self and the demons of the twisting nether. There was truth in her words, and Illidan the Betrayer could become a problem. Guldan had no intention of dying or giving up his power. He would be wiser, than his future self if he was commanded to raise the tomb. Getting Illidan out of the way also seemed like a good idea. His master Sargeras agreed with the idea, the legion suffered much loss and betrayal at the hands of the demon hunter.

After a long night of internal conflict Maiev saw Guldan approach her once again. "Alright, she –elf, I decided to heed your request. Considered yourself fortunate, that my masters see this Illidan as threat in need of elimination." He gestured for the demons to unshackle her " but you will have to prove yourself to me, first." He said. " of course" she said, she didn't expect it any other way.


	4. Chapter 4

Maiev was starting to run out of patience. For the past few weeks she had been running errands for Guldan. It seemed like had no intention of sending her to the other Azeroth. She couldn't get a moments piece with the demons constantly following her and watching her every move. The warden told herself that it was all worth it, if she endure it she could see Illidan again. It wasn't easy, what she had to do, mostly because she hated demons and yet had to pretend she was on their side. Attacking a transport for supplies was child's play, the demons reluctantly obeyed her , the missions got more complicated with each one. From stealing supplies for Guldan, to tracking rouge demons or new potential servants. Maiev had learned a great a deal about tracking demons in the past few weeks and some new ways of killing them. Guldan had place enchantments on her armor and weapon: they would let him know where she was, but also increased her speed and strength, they would warn her demons were near and gave slight control over some of his minions, to prevent them from killing her if they didn't feel like taking her orders.

After two months he would even let her go on missions alone. Assassinating mages, or other warlocks to steal artifacts or books from them; task that were better performed alone, the demons were brutes and lacked the elegance for such matters. She suspected that Guldan was not the one sending her on some of them; Guldan's masters , the Burning Legion were surely aware of her , she who stood in the way of the way of their former servant Illidan so many times, now serving their pawn Guldan. Sargeras and Kil 'Jaden were no fools, if they suspected something, anything they would send her to her death without a second thought. So she carried out her missions without fail, hoping her wish would be granted. Even if meant sacrificing a few innocent lives, even if meant being a pawn of the Legion, like Illidan once was, if got her what she wanted it didn't matter.

Six months have passed, the demons didn't bother her anymore, she had gotten used to them being around, and she didn't hesitate to eliminate those that disobeyed her commands, driving fear and respect into others. Guldan called her , she was expecting another mission. "You have done very well, these past few months, Maiev" he complimented her. "Thank you" she replied" I did my best" "After weeks of research, I may have found a way to send you to the Azeroth that exists within this time line." He stated. She couldn't believe her ears, finally she would get her wish. "I will need a few things to create the spell with." "What do you need?" " I require the energy from the Dark portal" he gave her a dark crystal" then I will need a book that belonged to the one known as Medivh. Thirdly I will need something that belonged to the Betrayer of your world." "I will get what you need." She promised.

It took her some time but she managed to find the book, in the long twisting halls of Karazhan in a secret hidden room. The guardian Medivh constructed the dark portal on Azeroth while possessed by Sargeras, allowing the orcs of Outland to invade. The book contained information need to open a path between two worlds. Filling the crystal with energy was easy. Maiev returned barely containing her anticipation. "Very good" Guldan looked at the book carefully" and what about the third item? "Maiev took of a small leather bag from around her neck." I took this lock of hair as a trophy when I killed Illidan" she lied. It was anything but a trophy, a promise, a reminder, a way to keep him near her at all times. "There is no real guarantee the spell will work" he said" building a portal would take many years, but this spell will take only minutes but it's energy will be unstable, unlike that of a complete portal. You could end up trapped outside of time, or it could take you to a completely different world. It will be a shame to lose someone as capable as yourself." He admitted " but this was our deal." "I will take the risk" she said, death didn't scare her, life without Illidan was far worse.

Guldan removed her gauntlet and poured the strange blue liquid from a vial onto her arm. "The spell is ready, it should take you to the other world when it finishes binding itself to you." She watched as the blue liquid wrapped itself around her wrist and arm forming strange glowing symbols. It stated to hurt, like the symbols were burning themselves into her skin. She closed her eyes trying not to cry, the pain was intense. Soddenly it stopped but before she could even give a sigh of relief the symbols flashed brightly and blinded her for a moment. Maiev felt the ground slip from under her feet, like the world had turned itself upside down, like she was falling. The spell had activated.


	5. Chapter 5

Everything was spinning , the darkness soon was lit by glowing lights, but she couldn't make out what they were. Some unseen force pushed and pulled her at the speed that seemed to go beyond even that of light. She couldn't tell which way was up and which was down, only one thought occupied her mind at that moment "What if it never ends?". The night elf closed her eyes, trying to not think that she could forever be stuck outside of time

Memories raced through her mind, her entire life was passing her by. It was often said that one's life flashed before their eyes when they were about to die. Maiev was almost sure now – she would not make it out of there alive. After all, thing never worked out the way she envisioned them in her head, and even if they did- they never lasted.

She was so happy when she got to be head priestess and her brother became the commander of the night elf forces. She thought the two of them could truly rule over the people, to fix all she saw to be wrong. Bu her work was soon over thanks to Tyrande, she was the favorite, people preferred her for some reason. Maiev felt slightly betrayed, but that was only the star of it all. Her brother, the one person she thought would support her, fled. He abandoned power, he abandoned their people he abandoned her, he- her hope of getting a position of power in the military. When she became Illidans jailor she silently hoped that her brother would seize power and come for her. But he fled with his lover. He left her all alone with her watchers and Illidan.

She hater Illidan, she told everyone, told herself it was because he almost killed her brother. Yes, she had been furious when Jarod fell into a coma and she thought he was dead, but Jarod was alive and he recovered and then he abandoned her. The real reason for her hate was something else, someone else. If she held any grudge against Illidan then the only reason for that was because of Tyrande. Maiev despised the woman and that is why she despised Illidan during the ten thousand years as his warden. Illidan was so devoted to that woman, he did everything for her, even thou she never returned his feelings, if anything she betrayed them by marring his brother, she never said a word to defend Illidan from his punishment. Not to mention that she was the reason he became the Betrayer in the first place.

Then after ten thousand years Tyrande dared to break into his prison and kill her watchers, her family, and free Illidan to use as a tool against the demons, then cast him aside when he became a half-demon in order to defeat one of the enemy commanders, had him exiled . Yes, she truly despised Tyrande and she despised Illidan for being devoted to that woman, she also despised him for the things he did during the war of the Ancients but after ten thousand years that anger had died down, but not her hate for Tyrande. During the ten thousand years she tried to destroy that devotion , that defied all logic, and yet it remained in tack, all she had to do was show up and he followed her like a dog. Oh, how Maiev hated that. This devotion he showed to Tyrande, the kind of devotion no one ever shoved her; not her brother, not her people, not even the watchers she regarded as family. Hating Illidan became like breathing to her, something she did without thinking. During the millennia spent underground and the years on Outland she had forgotten where this hate initially began, she had other things to hate him for after he killed Naisha and her watchers at the tomb, after he imprisoned her.

Darkness surrounded her once more. For a moment she thought she was truly dead. The soft sound of breathing reached her ears. As her eyes got used to the darkness familiar things began to come into view- she was back in her old room in the Barrow Deeps. In the corner, in the small wooden bed, the Maiev of this world was sleeping. " It worked. I can't believe it. I am actually back thirty years in the past." She could feel her heart flutter in her chest. Determination flooded her veins. She blinked over to the bed and for a moment held her breath watching her sleep. The other Maiev began to wake, her eyes opening slightly. She acted lightning fast, during the thirty years she had learned new skills and abilities that her past self didn't have. She brought her circular weapon down upon the neck of her other self and severed her head in one blow. She took the body and the bloody sheets into a heavy metal chest and blinked to the caves outside, she tossed the chest into an abyss full of water, no one would ever find it there. If memory served her right se still had years before Tyrande came barging in to free Illidan, she could take her time making preparations.

More than anything she wanted to go and see if her was really there, but it was much too early for morning visits, and just the thought of seeing him again made her feel more anxious than she dared to admit, so she decided to wait and maybe calm down a little. After all she could him anytime, he did not have his demon powers yet, there was no need to hurry.


	6. Chapter 6

Illidan sat on his bed; he sensed the change in the air, a disturbance in the energy. He could see past the walls , could see the energy flowing into one place and converging . The energy exploded with white light, bright almost blinding, yet so beautiful. It was quiet, night time above ground, the watchers all still asleep, except for the few standing guard over the entrance of the hall leading to his cell. He could clearly see their life energy flowing out from where their skin was uncovered; it was especially easy since most of them never wore much. It was more difficult with a certain warden, but over the passing centuries he learned to tell her apart from the others. Her body, except for a small part of her face was covered by armor, it kept her energy concealed from his magical sight, only small traces of were reflected in her aura, which was also dim because of the metallic "shell" she always seemed to hide in. he learned to recognize her footsteps, the armor made them much heavier than those of a regular watcher guard. Of course her voice was dead giveaway of her presence.

Ever since he had his eyes burned by fel magic he could hear a lot better, he could pick up on sounds that other people missed completely. His new eyes let him see magic, auras, energies and if he focused really hard he could almost see. It took a lot of practice, but with nothing better to do in his prison cell he worked on perfecting it, not that there was much to look at. But if he pushed all the flowing and flashing lights out of the picture he could see blurry images of the material forms of things, in time they became clearer, thou his eye sight was never as good as before. It was a useful thing , after all not all objects had energy flowing through them; the elements, plants, animals, people they were no problem, all living things had an aura or some kind of energy signature, but buildings and other such structures were more difficult. Sure, houses would traces of energy of the ones living there but they were still difficult to detect by only energy signatures. He wondered what the light was. No one seemed to notice that something happened, but he was half expecting to actually hear an explosion when the energies burst. It seemed that the only option was to wait, and he didn't have to wait long.

Maiev marched down the familiar hall leading to the prison of the Betrayer. The feeling of nostalgia was overwhelming; it had been thirty years after all. She took deep breaths to calm herself, feelings of anticipation and anxiety had started when she entered the hall. All night she hardly got any sleep, thoughts rushing through her head; she felt slightly tired and dizzy as well, but she just told herself all these things were from the lack of sleep. She dismissed the guards, who were happy to take a break.

He could hear the voices coming from the end of the hall, he saw the guards moving away, heard the heavy steps approaching. He guessed it was Maiev, but when he turned his head he saw a figure glowing with green and energies of fel magic. Strange green symbols on the figure and an aura made of both green fel and the white of arcane magic. No, this person was someone he didn't recognize; someone dangerous and powerful. Their presence send shivers up his spine.

Maiev stood in front of the cell. The man inside really was Illidan, the old Illidan, who didn't have wings and horns, or hooves. He was just a regular night elf and he was giving her an odd look. If she didn't know he was blind, she could have sworn he was staring at her. She tried to remember how she used to act before everything happened. She recalled she would go missions to hunt other criminals, Illidan didn't mean that much to her back then. Usually she just acted cold and strict towards him. "Didn't anyone tell you it's rude to stare, Betrayer?" she tried to keep her voice cold, but seeing him after all that happened caused a storm of emotions within. "Who are you?" he asked, the voice did sound familiar, but the presence was foreign to him. Those two words caught her by surprise and knocked her off balance. Her thoughts rushed trying to figure things out "Does he know? How can he tell?" she shook them off. "Have you finally lost your mind?" she said sounding angrier than she intended, thou inside she was running scared." You don't recognize your own jailor?" She feared he would figure out her secret and tell the others" But who would listen to him?" Maiev thought, finally calming down a bit, thou her hear was still beating much faster than normal and she felt slightly hot.

"Are you really Maiev?" he was confused, she sounded like the warden, from he could she wore the same armor but felt like a completely person. All that fel energy made him even more suspicious, was it maybe a demon in hiding. Was the Legion back? Or did they send an assassin to deal with him for betraying them during the war. "Yes, I am" she said firmly and blinked into his cell. The sudden movement surprised him. The warden had done it before but this time there was more power to it, the energy it emitted was much brighter. He looked at her studying the symbols that flowed across her form. Maiev noted that he was staring at her again, it was becoming annoying. "Stop it" she said, her gazed fixed on his blindfold. He didn't stop" If you are really Maiev, then why do reek of fel magic and demons?" She felt her heart sink; the cat was out of the bag. She gave a sigh of defeat. "There's no fooling you, is there? Indeed I am not the Maiev you know, I have come here from thirty years in the future."

He remained expressionless, contemplating her words that seemed like they sounded- impossible to believe. " Time travel is nearly impossible" he said. Maiev took it a rejection of her explanation" All the same it can be done, it will be done on massive scale in the future. " she wasn't sure why she was trying to convince him, not like it mattered. " I needed the help to get here so I sided with Guldan and his demons. " Illidan just rose an eyebrow at her, Maiev hated demons, hated magic and now she said she worked alongside them. "And what could be so important here that you would side with demons?" he questioned, still no believing her. She gave a sigh, her face felt so hot for some reason, thou it was quite cool in the underground. She took of her helmet, white hair spilling from under it and falling on her shoulders. Illidan realized he had never seen her without the helmet; he focused his vision on her face, she was quite beautiful.

Over the course of ten thousand years he had never seen her out of her armor, he had begun to see it as unremovable. He thought of the armor as the actual Maiev and not a person anymore. Thou to him all that she was – was insignificant. If he was out of his cage she would be no match for him, she had no real power, or so he thought. To him she was nothing, as much as she liked to remind him who was the prisoner and who was in charge, he ignored her. She couldn't defeat him if he was in full strength; her superiority over him was an illusion. However this Maiev that stood before him was powerful, very. He even dared say she could overpower him in full strength.

"you" she said. He heard her say it, he saw her lips form the letters but he just couldn't comprehend it. "What?". She supposed his reaction was to be expected. "in my world I have watcher over you for ten thousand years, I hunted you when you after your escape, I chased you to the edge of the world after the powers of the skull of Guldan turned you into a demon. I watched you kill my watchers in the tomb of Sargeras and I followed you into Draenor. I wandered the foreign plain hunting you for years, then you kept me prisoner for moths but in the end I found you, I faced you, I killed you."

Illidan took in her words. He had no idea what she was talking about, but she seemed to believe it . "Killing me once was not enough for you?" he teased looking at her aura, it was burning brighter than before, fel magic becoming stronger, brighter. Maiev was breathing heavily, she felt hot , really hot, like she was burning, she had felt weird all day, but she dismissed it a nothing. She shook her head in response" Before you died you said that I am nothing without you , you were right. Everything in my life was in some way connected to you; I wanted revenge so badly, I didn't think, I forgot and I killed you. When it was over I felt nothing, no joy, no relief, nothing. I feel nothing, I am nothing." Her head was spinning, vision becoming blurry, it was getting hard to breath.

He could see the green energy of fel consuming her aura, it was burning so bright now, it eclipsed even her life force. Illidan realized right away what it was, Maiev was not a magic user, and therefore she didn't have the magical tolerance that came with years and years of studying the arcane arts. Even with such tolerance, demon magic was hard to handle, it was like fire, very corrosive fire that could burn even one's life force. She had exposed herself to large amounts of this magic and now it was burning away at her .

Maiev fell to her knees gasping for air. Her vision was going dark, her lungs screamed for air but when she tried to breathe she would forget how to take a breath. Panic rose inside "this is it. This is how it ends." Were her last thoughts before blacking out.


	7. Chapter 7

He caught her in one swift move , before he could think any more about it, his body moved on its own. Illidan removed the chest piece of her armor, it seemed to be retraining her from breathing properly, besides physical contact was necessary for what he was about to do. Of course he could have called the guards but how exactly would he explain an unconscious Maiev in his cell lowly dying of fel poisoning? She would most likely be dead by the time the healer from Darnasus got here. Really it was the only option, he could save her if he absorbed the extra energy himself. After so long without magic he was starving for it and Maiev was like a feast of magical energies in front of his eyes . He was dying for a taste of it and if saved her life in the process, so what.

He hid the pieces of armor in the dark corner that was blocked by his bed. Lifting her into his arms, she was very light, he put her onto the small bed then got in next to her. His back to the door, so if any guards walked by they would think he was sleeping. The thin blanked covered them both, Maiev was well hidden by his muscular form, her back against his chest. She fit in his arms perfectly, it was strange but Illidan did his best to focus on the task of extracting magic from her. Her wrapped one hand around her waist, and the other around her chest ,with his palm resting above her heart. The shirt she was wearing was slightly in the way but he dared not remove it. If the fel burn reached her heart she would instantly die, he would keep her alive even if it was only so he could drain magic from her, to satisfy his hunger. He closed his eyes and focused on sensing the flow of energy inside her and directing to where his palms touched her skin. The familiar rush flooded his veins as magic began to flow into him. In the ten thousand years he had forgotten how intense fel magic was. Her body was extremely hot and her breath shallow and fast, obviously in pain from the demon magic eating away at her life force. Illidan felt like he was next to a fire, there was more fel inside her and around her aura then he initially assumed. This was going to take a while. She gave a pained cry and he got scared that someone might hear it, but the hall was silent. He needed to hurry up.

Fel magic was known to cause hallucinations and nightmares. It turned out she was having a magic induced nightmare and he ended up absorbing some of it. The sky was green with black clouds. The terrain was unfamiliar to him, mostly rocks and tall black mountains. A large building dominated the desolate place, casting shadows on the dead land. Something moved from the top of the structure, a shadow. It was winged and had horns, like a demon. It's eyes burned greed and it held green glowing weapons that Illidan recognized as his own. He managed to pull himself out of the nightmare but the image still lingered. He wasn't sure why he felt so unsettled it was just a nightmare, but the whole day to him felt like a dream. His mind still battled with the idea of a Maiev from the future coming for him. But this woman was so different from the one he saw just yesterday when she gave him a beating, who hopped he dropped dead soon and called him degrading names and tortured him. Thou she did it less than before, she would still occasionally remind him that he was her prisoner ,even if she had other things to keep her busy. Illidan made a promise to himself to find out more when the chance appeared. The one that was right next to him now was not the same person, this was clear. While extracting fel from her he could also feel her life energy, slowly untangling the treads of her life from the corrosive magic. Her life force, the very core of her being was different. She had a lot of power in her, he could tell.

"When did you get so strong?" he wondered

He considered his warden a weakling, she didn't use magic and only relied on weapons and martial arts. Compared to him she was nothing in terms of power. But this Maiev was stronger than him now. He recalled her saying she killed him after he absorbed the power of some artifact. The gap between the two Maievs was too wide. One could not become so powerful in just one day, but if she was from the future as she said, then she had decades to train and become strong.

"What happened to the world in thirty years? How did it come to this?" curiosity was getting the better of him.

Maiev was starting to breathe normally, her body temperature starting to drop. Now the magic was coursing through him and after so long without any magic, absorbing so much fel was not a good idea. Illidan felt hot, his thoughts becoming unfocused. He knew he would be alright but it would take time for his magic to neutralize and successfully absorb the energy. He listened to her slow and steady breathing beginning does drift away into sleep. Two guards walked by, giving the cell a quick glance. They noticed nothing.

Illidan was still half asleep but the warmth was stirring him awake. Usually he awoke feeling cold because of the temperature and the dampness underground, but he felt warm this time and that warmth was coming from next to him. Just as he was about to drift off again the memories of the last few hours emerged and he opened his eyes wide awake. In her sleep Maiev had somehow managed to wrap her hands around him, her body pressed tightly against his, he could feel each breath she took when her chest pressed against his. If she woke up now thing would be bad, he thought. Gently and slowly, not to wake her up he removed one of her hands from his body and lowered it back to her side. At least now he could pull away a little and sit up. He sat on the edge of the bed praying the no one walked by for next fifteen minutes. Maiev stirred behind him, she was slowly waking up.

There was a slight pounding in her head and her eyes were blurry when she opened them, she couldn't see much of anything, on top of that she did not recall going to sleep. Then she noticed him sitting on the edge of the bed with his back to her.

"Illidan?" the last few hours seemed so unreal, she remembered the darkness and thinking she was dying but if she was dead he should look like the Illidan she killed, yet he didn't.

"You're awake" he turned his head slightly to look at her.

"What happened to me?"

"Fel poisoning" He said bluntly" to be honest I am surprised you survived."

"It was that bad? Guldan must have used one powerful spell, I felt just fine before I used it." She looked at the symbols carved into her wrist with magic.

"It was reckless to use something so powerful without protection" he commented

"You're one to talk" she responded" absorbing magical artifacts like it was no big deal"

"I am trained in the ways of magic, both fel and arcane therefore I have resistance and natural tolerance. You on the other hand, don't"

"I spent years in a world corrupted by fel, i should have some resistance to such things" she argued

"Perhaps you do" he agreed, that would explain how she survived.

"You saved my life" she said after a short silence " thank you" she said softly

It was strange having her thank him.

"May I ask why? I imagine you of all people would want me dead"

"I don't know. " he said " I guess ,It was self-preservation, if they found you dead in my cell I would surely be executed. But in all honesty I don't know, I just reacted before I could think of a reason to"

"I see" she could tell he was telling the truth. "Still, I am grateful"

She gazed at the bed sheets to avoid looking at him. It was so strange , thanking him for saving her life. Suddenly she noticed she not in her armor and it made her feel even more embarrassed. The sleeveless shirt clung tightly to her body outlining her figure and it wasn't very long. She reminded herself that he was blind but it still felt uncomfortable and embarrassing.

" I don't know what happened between us in the future but wouldn't kill you. " he said" maybe pay you back for the torture and the beatings but no kill you"

She could tell he was half joking and half telling the truth. This Illidan wouldn't kill her in cold blood. He didn't hate her as much, she assumed, because things that made them both hate each other even more have not yet occurred in this world.

"So, you finally believe that I'm from the future?"

"Just a little"

"Maybe someday I'll tell you. I should get back before they start looking for me"

"Yes, you should, before anyone decides to look here". Thou I would like to hear you explain this situation" he laughed imagining Maiev trying to explain why she was half naked in his bed.

"Well, we may never know" she said putting on her armor.

She was fully dressed in her warden armor and blinked into the hall. Neither said anything. He watched her walk away, the glowing energy vanishing behind the wall. Things were going to get interesting around here.


	8. Chapter 8

It had been three days since she arrived in the past, three days since Illidan saved her life. Maiev told herself she should be happy, after all, Illidan was not the only one alive here- Naisha, Anyndra and Sarius were alive as well. She had to restrain herself from running to Naisha and embracing her when she saw her. She was happy, seeing the old familiar faces of those who she thought were gone forever. They died because of her, she had realized that, as much as she blamed Illidan for their deaths. During the months in the cage back in outland being the only survivor of her squad she had time to think. Whose rage they followed? Whose vendetta they all died for? Who had forsaken all caution in blind rage to chase the enemy into an obvious trap instead of retreating? The fault was hers, and admitting it hurt more than the defeat at his hands. She hated Illidan then, maybe she still hated him a little now, but the deaths of her people were her own fault. Mentally she apologized to all of them and swore to not allow the same thing to happen again. If Illidan never escaped then she wouldn't have to chase him, all she had to do was make sure Tyrande never set him free. A dead person can't set anyone free. Once she got back to full strength she would start working on it.

Her joy was short-lived. After a day spent reuniting with friends and comrades long lost what awaited her was a night of terror. She woke up from what she knew was a nightmare but she could not recall any details. Her room was pitch black, and she had forgotten where she was, for a moment her mind began to think she was in a grave – buried alive and she forgot how to breathe. Without realizing it she started screaming. When distressed guards opened the door and the light shone in she suddenly snapped out of it, still having a difficulty breathing but aware of her surroundings. She felt embarrassed, the guards left confused when she said she only had a nightmare. The dampness of the dungeon often caused drops of water to fall from the ceiling of flow from walls thus putting out torches and candles, so she never left any burning in her room- it was a waste of resources.

The panic attack repeated itself the other night as well, this time she put both hands over her mouth to not scream incase the guards her it, but the fear only intensified – what if she really was buried alive she was sealing her own fate by not calling for help. She passed out from not being able to breath and woke much later feeling not rested at all. Sleep was not an option for her, she decided. She needed to stay awake somehow, through the night in order to not cause suspicion since she appeared to be shouting things in her sleep as a passing guard overheard. She might reveal the wrong things in her sleep talk so after the third night of panic and restless nightmares she swore to not sleep. Disregarding how it would affect her, sure that was only temporary, a side effect of the spell.

Illidan sat in cell thinking about the events of the past as well as the most recent ones. The bits and pieces he got from Maiev about the future were unsettling him. During his time here he had several visions but could nothing about it. The images he saw while having his eye burned out, off the legion marching across countless worlds and universes leaving nothing behind but empty dead worlds, just briefly he had seen what he believe to be Argus the home world of the legion lieutenants but there was not enough to go on. Visions of demons and yet another world conquered would visit him, he knew the legion would return and what Maiev had told him only confirmed his suspicions but he needed to know more. Never before had he imagined that a day would come when would await a visit from his warden. Usually she would mock him and torment him with words or if she was particular upset about something she would actually torture him.

Finally after four days she showed up again, he could see her from far away with his spectral sight. He could perceive two things about her: she was undoubtedly coming his way, it was the only way to his cell and she was without her armor, he could not see the fel symbols inscribed on them and her life force was much radiant, flowing out unrestricted.

Maiev needed something to occupy her to, prevent her from falling asleep. She left her warden armor back in her room, it was slightly chilly wearing only the leather pants and a sleeveless top so she threw on wool cloak and left. She figured Illidan won't mind her visit, most of the watchers would be asleep, the evening patrol had already passed his cell and the morning one was still hours away.

Illidan turned his head towards her the moment she rounded the corner, she was used to it after all this time, she knew he could see her that he saw well before she emerged from the hallway leading to his cell. Once it surprised her, for only a brief moment she believed him to be blind but only for a moment when her career as his jailor began.

"For what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, warden" there was a note of sarcasm in his greeting.

The sense of familiarity made her smile.

"You wanted to know about the future?" she said " I was thinking of telling you but if that's the greeting I get I might change my mind" she said, her voice playful.

It was most unusual the two had settled for a routine of insults, mockery and sarcasm. Yet again he had to remind himself this was not the same Maiev.

"You have my deepest apologies then " he said in the same sarcastic tone.

She blinked into his cell, once again the power behind it surprised him. Now she stood in front of him and in a moment of silence he sat there admiring her. The way her aura looked, the way her life force flowed, and the way it scattered all around her after the teleportation and was now reattaching itself to its owner, the fragments looked like feathers for a moment.

She noted he was smiling and appeared to be looking at her but not quite aware of her. She lowered her head and stared at where his eyes should be. She wondered how he saw things. He noticed the movement, she staring him in the face.

"What do you see?" she wondered out loud

"Wouldn't you like to know" he mocked playfully, it was so unusual, he could actually drop his guard around this Maiev, not that he would drop his guard completely around anyone.

From her aura he could see she was relaxed, there no danger coming from her, not at the moment.

" you came here to tell about the future?" he reminded her" so tell me"

" alright. But it will be a long story."

He moved making room for her to sit down.

" I think the beginning is the best place to start" she spoke about the coming of the orcs , the undead and the demons ,she reluctantly told him about how Tyrande freed him, she looked at with the corner of her eye watching his expression, it did not change into a happy or hopeful one like she assumed, it was almost unreadable, he was deeply thinking about something.

She spoke about what happened after his release from captivity, how he made a pact with the legion and fought Arthas and his defeat drove to absorb the skull of Guldan. Old anger began to stir in her reliving those memories.

He could see her aura darkening with rage but her face remained calm. His mind was taking in every detail, every event and linking them to what he knew, trying to figure out what his other self was planning, he imagined his plan was much like his own but still piecing it all together was not going to be easy.

Malfurion and Tyrande banished him from Kalimdor after he absorbed the powers of the skull. Maiev told him about the naga, thou she was not sure how he got them to his side, she knew the naga were the former elves of Suramar that sank to the bottom of the sea as the well of Eternity exploded.

Illidan shuddered thinking what kind of powers might dwell under the sea that turned the highborne elves into sea serpent like monsters and the means of witch he himself might have acquired them as allies. Maiev noticed it, whatever it was, something about the naga was deeply unsettling, she agreed

The night went by and the early morning patrol was about to make it's rounds. Maiev had to leave before she was spotted and questioned, the story telling had to wait for another night. She left but did not go to bed, it was not uncommon for her to up by this time, so grabbing her armor she went to the training grounds.

Illidan didn't sleep either, there was much on his mind. His other- self definitely had some sort of plan in motion, a plan to fight the legion. He could guess bits and pieces of it from what Maiev said. The legion will return, that much he already knew, he will become more powerful to fight them. Making pact with Kil'Jeaden was obvious enough- gather information about the legions plans for Azeroth and .The naga were a mystery but why he had recruited them was obvious, he need powerful allies to deceive the demon into thinking he was making preparation for whatever task the demon had given him but in truth he was preparing to stop the legion.

Maiev returned the next night , and the next. Thirty years were not something one could fit into a few hours, and she seemed to take her time, telling it with as much detail as she could recall, not that Maiev would ever forget a single thing to do with Illidan. Each night she returned he life force seemed to be less brighter, she looked tired like she hasn't slept in a while. She was undoubtedly taking time off her sleep to tell him these things but now he began to question why? It was surely not because she deemed the future so important that he needed to know. Did she want to gloat over defeating him, from what she previously told him he doubted that was the case. Why did she come to him every night for an entire week instead of resting? What other motive was there? He wondered but the answer eluded him.

It had been quiet for a while now, he was lost in thought and he stopped listening to her voice only to notice now it was gone. Maiev was right there next to him, he head resting on his arm, eyes closed.

"Maiev?" he called her, she didn't move.

She seemed to be deep asleep. He attempted to wake her but to no avail. The woman remained asleep. With a sigh he lay her on the small bed then laid down next to her making sure his muscular body shielded her from view. He never imagined he would be doing it again, but there was nothing else he could do.


	9. Chapter 9

Illidan slowly awoke, feeling the familiar warmth pressed against his back. It had been a month since she started sleeping in his cell, claiming it was the only place where she could sleep that didn't cause to have panic attacks and horrible nightmares. At first he didn't mind, she was a welcome source of warmth and conversation to ease his other vise boring imprisonment. But her presence began to stir something inside him. When she told him that he had been down there for ten thousand years already he was in disbelief, with each day like the other and no real way to tell when one day ended and the other began he had lost all sense of time. He thought it had only been a few centuries. Alone and abandoned, worst of all forgotten by all who knew him: his own brother forgot about him, Tyrande forgot him, his people forgot him. No one spoke of what he had done to save them the Legion. It was like he was never born. After so long in isolation he was amaze he had not gone completely mad.

Maiev turned in her sleep, her boy pressing even closer to his. Illidan took a deep breath, it was starting to become irritating. He tried to calm down and focus on something else, but her constant presence was making it difficult. Sometimes she would leave and not show up for a day or two but for the past week she had been staying over every single night. He had forgotten what it was like, it took him a while to comprehend what was happening. He knew she was to blame.

He was dreaming, over the time he had gotten so used to his spectral sight that even his dreams looked like a combination of blackness, lights and blurred images of reality. It felt like he was swimming, relaxed laying in the warm water letting it carry him. Around him it was all darkness, but he could feel the shores the little river carrying him were close by, he could reach out and pull himself out if he wanted, but he didn't. the way the water felt against his body, he wanted to fully submerge himself in it, to dive deeper and have completely envelope his body in its warm waters. He was starting to let himself go, slowly descending deeper into the warm blackness bellow him. As he sunk the water poured on him from above, little waves splashing against him, sending ripples of pleasure though him..

Slowly his senses came back and he remembered he was in his cell, the darkness slowly vanished and the lights of nearby living entities appeared. He was on his back in his bed, Maiev right next to him, he could see her without turning to look at her, she still deep asleep. He felt comfortable and warm ,thanks to her he had almost forgotten how cold this dungeon really was, but something was different, a new sensation, so distant yet somehow familiar. He made a move to sit up, the material felt presently tight, the way it never felt before. The realization hit him and he felt embarrassment replace the lingering remains of a pleasant dream. If she were to awaken and see him like this, he dreaded to even think it. Thou a part of him blamed her for this.

What was she expecting coming here every night? if he didn't know any better he would have said she was doing this on purpose, just to cause him discomfort and humiliation, but he knew better. Over the time he had spent in the Barrow Den he had seen things and heard things, not about her specifically but about the watchers. Ancient tradition dictated that all the members of the watchers were female, for the past nine thousand years most of the males were asleep and wandering the Emerald dream from what Maiev told him. Sometimes male healers or druids came to the den but they were not residents, the only males here were the prisoners and the centaur like guardians . More than one he had noticed some of the guards engaged in acts of passion when they thought no one was looking. But these affairs were of no interest to him. Maiev was not close to anyone, in all the time she was his warden. Even when she left to hunt for criminals, he could not imagine her seeing somebody on the outside . With the helm and armor she wore the whole time he couldn't imagine many knowing what she actually looked like, he himself just recently found out. Before the sundering? He wondered about it, but dismissed the idea. She was younger than him, she began training as a priestess in Suramar and then soon after the war began, right after that she became his warden. The only conclusion he could make was that she didn't know any better.

"To think that one whose name strikes fear into the hearts of grown men, one who killed so many in her self-proclaimed righteousness would be so ignorant" he almost laughed out loud . "So full of hate and yet so innocent"

She looked so peaceful in her sleep, regardless he wanted her gone, far away from him as possible. He presence had become an unbearable distraction for him. He had gone too long without physical contact aside from ones to inflict pain on him. He began to think that the violent treatment was far better than this. The past week had been hell, he knew he would break eventually if he didn't do something. Worst of all was- she was right there, like water in front a man who had wandered the desert without drinking for days. He considered it, but he knew he would be dead if he dared to attempt it, besides he was not some animal without self-control. He didn't love her, he didn't care for her. Underneath all the friendly small talk he hated her, she was indeed Maiev, the same warden who had tortured and abused him for thousands of years, she was his enemy. This desire was purely physical, a reaction of a body that was deprived contact for too long. His hate still overpowered his lust. He had one more reason to hate her now, this ignorant woman that his body into his enemy.

Maiev awoke feeling rested, ever since she began sleeping in Illidans cell the nightmares stopped. It was much easier to function while well rested. She told him about the panic attacks and the nightmares she could not recall when she awoke and she had tried sleeping in another room, even outside under the stars, it didn't seem to work. Illidan didn't seem to mind it, so she saw no reason to stop this behavior.

He was sitting on the bed. Something was different about him, his jaw was clenched tight like he was in pain, breaths fast and shallow.

"you're wake" he said without looking at her , his voice was restrained, something like anger but not quite.

"Is something wrong?" she is confused.

He ignores the question.

"How much longer do you intend to keep staying here?" He asks.

" As long I need to sleep" she replied not seeing what he was getting upset about

Her answer was clearly was not what he wanted to hear.

"I rearranged the patrol schedule , there is no need to worry about being found out. Besides it's not like anything is going on between us." She stated

"I want you gone from here" he said sounding serious

"Why? I thought you like my company?" the situation was becoming stranger every second"

"You drive me to distraction!"

"From what? Your hours of pacing the cell and brooding about the past?" she half joked half attempted to insult him

"You ignorant woman" he was looking at her, green fires blazing where his eyes should be " You have no idea of the things you do to me…" he laughed but it was mirthless, almost insane.

He was upon her pinning her down to the bed before she could react.

"You drive me mad with desire" he whispered into her ear pressing his body against hers.

He knew she could feel him, he made sure she did. There was a look of shock on her face, disbelief, a slight hint of fear, before she regained her composure and blinked out from under him. She was nowhere in sight, he was alone. Illidan smile to himself- alone at last. He wasn't going to do it, not really, he wanted to scared her away. She really was as ignorant as he thought, most likely she will not be back. Well maybe give him a good beating, but never again to be close to him. It was for the better.

Maiev leaned against the wall of her room, her heart raced. She had fought, she had killed, she could hate until the universe ended but never she had imagined anything like this happening. She knew such things existed, love, passion, desire, they happened all around her. A few of her watchers left to become wives' and mothers, she had caught some of her soldiers in rather compromising situations. She had tracked her targets to dirty brothels and similar places, even struck some of them down while in the act. She never thought of herself and these things being related in any way.

Maybe once, long ago, before the war of the ancients , when she was still a young girl, while her mother was still alive and well she dreamed of raising her own children with her husband. While training in the temple she did think about which boy was the most handsome and talk to the other girls about romance but it was a very brief time. The demons came almost out of nowhere, her mother was dead and the next time she saw those boys she thought were handsome they were half burnt to death by an infernal and she was using all her power to heal the burns and not to vomit from the smell of burning flesh at the same time. Most of them died, one who survived was horribly scared, no one would call him handsome now. He lost everything when the demons came, he took his own life by jumping of the high wall, he was not the only one to do so.

But who brought the demons? Something in her mind whispered : Illidan. No she argued herself it was Azshara and the reckless use of magic. Who killed all those people? A voice was speaking to her inside the pitch blackness. Who cause the death of your mother? Illidan, no the legion, the queen. Yet the word Illidan rang out louder and louder every time until it became a loud buzzing sound in her ears and she covered them and screamed in pain as her head felt like it was going to explode.

Maiev awoke, if it could be called that, on the floor down on her knees and clutching her head, squeezing so hard her nail dug into her flesh and drew blood. It had been three days since the event in the cell. She had not gone to see him since. The first two nights were calm but it seemed the dreams were starting again. She didn't remember what the dream was about but from the way she acted the night elf could guess it was something horrible. She washed off the blood and put on her helmet. Nightmares or not she was still the warden.

An entire week has passed since the event. Maiev had still not gone to see him. She heavily considered it, but then she would have to deal with something she was unfamiliar with- lust. She knew how to deal with Illidan, but she wasn't sure how to deal with being desired. She examined herself in the mirror, she had started doing it after. To be honest she was not comfortable seeing herself naked, let alone being seen by others. Her eyes roamed over her own body, she knew she was not beautiful, she would never call herself that even by mistake. There were scars from the many battle she faced, he muscles were overdeveloped from training constantly and fighting. Her hair had once been dark blue but now they were white. She guessed that it was the stress she had to endure. There were wrinkles in her face, not from age, from the expression of rage that used to constantly imprinted on it, and from the harsh living conditions while in outland and on the run. She never saw the need to use paint on her face, what was the point? Who could see it under the helmet? Even all the make up in world could not make feel beautiful. She hated those who used such things, it was a deception that created an illusion of beauty, made one look alluring, such things in her opinion could not be used for anything good. Like whores with painted faces luring men to rob them of their money, it was a wicked thing and nothing could change her mind.

The bath water was nice and soothing after long hours of training. She waited until all the other watchers were done bathing to enter, like she always did. They were all women, but still felt uncomfortable undressing in the presence of others. Why would anyone want to look her body? There was nothing special about it, nothing beautiful about it. She knew most people would never want to, but Illidan was not most people. some male elves had offered her to have a night of fun as a joke or an insult and she was fine with it, responding with beating the drunk young men and walking away. No one would seriously find her attractive, she knew it to be true. But Illidan did. There were no illusions in her mind; they both knew whom he loved, to whom all his thoughts and prayers were dedicated; and she knew she was no Tyrande Whisperwind . The high priestess was everything she wasn't: beautiful, elegant, slender in form, effeminate. She secretly envied Tyrande.

The thought did occur to her, that sometime in the future she will break in here and try to free Illidan again but she shrugged it off. There was time to deal with Tyrande, killing the priestess would be the simplest thing with her current power. With Tyrande dead no one could wake Malfurion from his sleep, he would be easy prey for Maiev. With both of them out of the picture she could take over as leader the night elves, she would lead into battle against the legion, she could free Illidan if it came to that and ..

Fight the legion? Said a voice in her head. Why fight it?

She could see herself standing on a pile of bodies with Illidan kneeling beside her, she was holding him on a chain like a dog. The heads of Tyrande and Malfurion mounted on stakes and the background the demons marched on from a giant green portal. Green meteors fell from the sky.

Why fight it?

Said the Maiev from her vision, her armor was pitch black with fell runes gloving on it. She yanked the chain on Illidans neck and he fell to the ground.

"Who cause you pain and suffering? Who killed your people?"

The ambush that Akama had lured her into on the Hand of Guldan played out before her eyes. The mages performing the ritual, Illidan standing at the altar. She declares an attack, the portals appear and the Illidari forces overwhelm her small group, everyone died, except for her.

She felt rage flare up inside.

"Yes, you should hate him" said the dark Maiev " You should kill him. It is only right. He will do it again, you know this in your soul. Kill him, kill Illidan"

Maiev caught herself forming a yes but then for a split second her eyes saw further, so far she could not even believe it possible. Behind the dark Maiev , behind the marching demons in a cloud of storms stood a tall figure so tall it reached the sky. It's skin was red but had a striking resemblance to the draenai. It's lips moved whispering words she could not hear at first.

"Kill Illidan" the dark Maiev repeated over and over

Then she realized whose words she was really hearing.

"Kil' Jaeden" she uttered the name overwhelmed with fear.

Maiev opened her eyes , still in the bath but now shivering with cold. for the first time she remembered her nightmare clearly. How could she forget? To get here she swore to kill Illidan, she had sworn to serve the legion, but had no real intention of serving them

"This must be how Illidan felt" she thought to herself" I have betrayed my people, I served the Burning Legion only to betray it. Now Kil'Jeaden threatens to kill if I don't kill Illidan." she laughed an insane laughter.

Illidan was awake, trying to meditate but his mind was distracted by thoughts of Maiev. She had not come to see him an entire week. He told himself it was a good thing but a part of him missed her. He could once again focus on important things. From what she told him he had learned much and was on the verge of figuring out what plan he had made in the future and how he had achieved what he had. When the legion returns he will be truly prepared, no longer having to come with the plan, he will be able to act faster, more accurately and he will succeed this time.

To his surprise Maiev blinked into his cell, it came out of the blue, she just appeared there and for moment he was confused. He looked at her as if not sure if she was real. She jumped into his arms and pressed her face against his chest. Once the confusion wore of he noticed she was shaking and her face wet, she was crying. He examined her aura with his sight, there was purple of a fear spell surrounding her and something else. He looked deeper, he could see it, far away but still a trace of her. It was deep dark green and black, he felt something demonic about the energy, thou it belonged to Maiev there was a foreign presence mixed into it. And he knew, she didn't need to say anything, it was all clear now.

He embraced her, it felt awkward but he knew what she felt. He felt it every day, the dread, the visions- a silent warning of what happens to those who disobey the legion.

"How do you do it?" she whispered " live with all of it?"

"I just do" he said" I think of what must be done and I do it"

She pulled her face away from his chest and looked at him.

"I betrayed our people, I served the legion to get to you, now if I don't kill you they will kill me" She said, her voice drained of any emotion, like she was planning on killing him.

He waited to see what she will do.

" You put me through so much pain" she said , her tone cold, face and emotionless mask" I thought if I killed you it would end the pain, but instead it caused me even greater pain. " With a swift move of her arm she put the fingers of one hand around his throat and leaned on him with great force . he didn't resist and fell backwards onto the bed, she fell on top of him.

" If I kill you now" he voice began to grow more gentle" I might escape the wrath of Kil' Jaeden but I then I will have to deal with a world without you." She let go of him." And I can't do that"

He was becoming more aware of her physical closeness. Her chest against his stomach, each breath she took, he could feel it. Her stomach pressing gains his lower half.

"You know how to fight the legion" she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself closer to his face." You could teach me. We are both Betrayers in the eyes of the world. Whatever reasons I have to hate you, I hate the legion a thousand times more" she whispered into his ear.

Her body moving and sliding up against his sent a jolt of pleasure through his body. His had to hold in a gasp from escaping.

"Maiev" he said, not wanting to ruin the moment, but he felt he had to say something or it will be ruined.

"What?" she looked at him, his face was slightly flushed and his breath was becoming uneven.

"Get off me" he said.

Suddenly realization caught up to her and she felt embarrassed. She pulled away from him and sat down on the bed staring the floor, legs bent under her. She was still dazed when she left the bath, only two thoughts in her head: one the legion was coming after her; two Illidan could kill demons. Suddenly it became all too clear why she had no nightmares in his presence. She had fought the demons yes, but Illidan knew all there was to know about the legion and how to destroy it, but why would he help her? He was her enemy. Why shouldn't he just leave her to fend for herself? Panic took her mind and only now she was starting to regain it.

Illidan looked at her , the woman seemed deep in thought, not aware of the state she was in. he didn't mean to look but he couldn't look away either. Her hair was loose, and it was long, the whiteness matching that of the robe she wore, it was a little small for her in some places and too lose in others and that didn't help the situation since the robe had moved out of place during the little encounter they had. The robe barely covered her chest, obviously it had belonged to a woman with a smaller bust, and it had slid down exposing her neck and shoulders. Her legs for the most part were exposed right up to her thighs.

She felt him staring at her. She became aware of her state of dress, or rather the lack of it. Running out in a panic she grabbed whatever was around and put it on. At first she made a move to adjust her clothing but the she caught glimpse of the swelling in front of his leather pants and decided against it.

"We are not children, Illidan" she said moving closer to him " We both know who you prefer. But she has chosen another, she does not love you. I won't pretend to love you, I don't. I don't hate you as much as before, but I don't love you. But this isn't about love is it?"

He shook his head.

"No, it is not."

"I admit, I have never had the pleasure of the experience. But it was because of your actions that I was denied a life of love and family."

"If I recall, you wanted to be my warden"

"A decision made in a fit of rage. A mistake, or was it?" she moved closer to him pressing her chest against his arm

He looked at her and there was hunger in his face.

"Out of all the men I ever met, you are the only one to want me in this way, in any way" admitting was embarrassing but at the same time she felt as saying out loud made her feel relieved.

He pulled her down into a kiss, nor being able to hold back any longer. He briefly thought about ravaging her body in the most painful ways possible as payback for all she had done to him, but she seemed to return every action of his with equal passion, she was just as starved as he was. Her words echoed in his head " we are both Betrayers". She was not his Maiev, she was Maiev the Betrayer, not Maiev the warden, it was not his place to punish her- she belonged to another.

* * *

Fear- the spell that sends you running in to the direction you feel is the safest.


End file.
